Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Ssshhhh....do you hear that? Of coarse you don't because you are there sitting staring at a computer screen, and I am here in my quiet house. Quiet? Yes, quiet. The girls are nicely tucked into bed, and Ross is fast asleep. Ross had a bad encounter with a bag of chips today. These chips he has had several times with no adverse reaction...until today. First his lip starting swelling, then his gums, and finally the lump in his throat indicating that he was in fact having an allergic reaction, and yes his throat was closing up. He quickly took 2 Benadryl and headed to Wal-Mart with the Epi-Pen tucked into his pocket. Why Wal-Mart you ask? He bought Children's liquid Benadrly to swish around his mouth and gargle to hopefully stop the swelling. After a couple of hours there was success. Oh, did I mention he was in Ft. Smith working? Yes, imagine my distress knowing that he was a good hour and 15 min. away. I felt completely helpless; as I am sure he did, but luckily everything turned out fine. Now he is fast asleep in our bed breathing normally. He will probably be out until morning. Wow...12 hours of sleep...I could go for that! Let me leave you with this...

"Count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience." -James 1:2-3

I have known this verse since I was a child, but came across it again in my reading last night. This verse and this verse alone may be the single most important verse for my family and the trails we are facing together. "Count it all joy..." I can honestly say that I see the joy in this disease called Eosinophilic Esophagitis. Yes my daughter and my husband both have this disease, but I see that my God has a bigger plan. A plan bigger than the disease, bigger than not being able to eat, bigger than the strange and confused looks, and much bigger than the tears. I know that this is for HIS glory. I am honored and blessed to be the wife of an incredibly strong man that restricts his foods so that he can be healthier, and so that someday he can tell his baby girl that he made sacrifices that paid off so they can both be well. A man who is willing to face this disease knowing that God is standing there with him through it all. Ross and I are equally as blessed to know that our Heavenly Father entrusted us to provide for such a sweet and beautiful little girl. Although Abigail isn't able to eat the foods we eat, she has brought us joy beyond words. Her name has truly brought meaning to our lives; even more so than we could have ever imagined. Abigail means "My father's joy," and she is just that. Not only has EE brought us joy, but it has also brought us patience. Patience in waiting for doctor's appointments, money to provide the medical care needed, test results, and the unknown. Through this trial we have met amazing people with children that posses unexplainable strength. We have seen doctors with passion like nothing I have ever seen before. We have become a part of a church family that many do not find in their lifetime, and relied on family and friends for the support they have promised to show. So, if asked, yes I have found divine joy and patience during this trial, and thank God that He knew that with Him we could handle it. This trial is a process, but someday I know there will be healing, and we will give Him and Him alone all of the glory!

We have our dates for our next Cincinnati trip. We will be leaving Dec. 14th returning Dec. 19th. It will be another busy trip; hopefully filled with just as much great information as the first trip. This will be a follow-up visit for Abigail. She will be scoped on Monday, and with much prayer she will have ZERO eos! We want 0 eos/hpf because that will mean that the elemental formula alone is working, and her levels should be able to control through diet. Although this is a follow-up for Abigail, it will be Ross' intial visit. He will see the GI specialist on Tuesday for a consultation, allergy tested on Wednesday, and scoped on Thursday. We are anxious to learn what his treatment options are and to see what improvements have occurred since his new diet restriction.

Pure and undefiled religion before our God andFather is this:to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keeponeself unstained by the world. -James 1:27

Our Family

Ross, Lisa, Mary Grace, Hannah, Abigail, and Jonathan

Our Little Blessings

Mary Grace

Hannah

Abigail

Jonathan

Eosinophil

is the least common of the white blood cells. They make up 2-4% of the white blood count. Children with eosinophilic disease have increased numbers of eosinophils in their blood, GI tract, and/or organs. Produced in the bone marrow, eosinophils then migrate to tissues throughout the body. When a foreign substance (an allergen or parasite, for example) enters the body, lymphocytes and neutrophils (other types of white blood cells) release certain substances to attract eosinophils which release toxic substances killing the invader.